Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Benoni Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Benoni

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,097 in Benoni.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,409 in Benoni.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,721 in Benoni.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 17% more expensive than Benoni, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 4% lower, Benoni 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 MX$209

$8.47 R 142

40.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$748

$34.00 R 570

25.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 MX$185

$4.62 R 77.5

129.22%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$63.4

$2.05 R 34.43

76.59%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 MX$25.69

$1.01 R 16.94

45.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$16.51

$0.78 R 13.14

20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$54.1

$2.22 R 37.21

39.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$78.0

$2.56 R 43.00

74.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.94

$1.15 R 19.24

24.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.97

$1.02 R 17.10

84.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$28.50

$1.73 R 29.00

-5.78%

Eggs

$2.64 MX$46.26

$2.49 R 41.78

6.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 MX$144

$7.87 R 132

4.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 MX$145

$4.65 R 78.0

78.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 MX$194

$6.34 R 106

75.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$46.40

$1.67 R 28.04

58.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$26.26

$1.53 R 25.73

-1.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.79

$1.49 R 25.04

33.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.33

$1.65 R 27.71

26.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$31.29

$1.32 R 22.10

35.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 MX$38.09

$1.17 R 19.68

86.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MX$18.84

$1.09 R 18.23

-0.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.15

$0.88 R 14.70

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 MX$69.5

$3.16 R 53.0

25.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 MX$179

$5.19 R 87.1

96.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$30.22

$1.32 R 22.12

31.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MX$43.71

$1.60 R 26.88

56.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.07

$1.66 R 27.91

-68.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.97 MX$472

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$55.0

$1.15 R 19.26

173.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$42.04

$0.95 R 15.93

152.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 MX$54.0

$3.13 R 52.4

-1.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$22.28

$1.29 R 21.59

-1.55%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.9K MX$540.4K

$22.4K R 375.6K

37.87%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.3K MX$408.0K

$23.5K R 394.6K

-0.90%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$82.0 MX$1,435

$124 R 2,077

-33.80%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.45 MX$393

$40.14 R 673

-44.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$519

$43.03 R 722

-31.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$908

$16.47 R 276

214.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.67 MX$327

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MX$87.0

$7.27 R 122

-31.64%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$198 MX$3,462

$211 R 3,540

-6.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,273 MX$92.3K

$4,372 R 73.3K

20.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.34 MX$636

$51.2 R 858

-28.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 MX$701

$33.05 R 554

21.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MX$1,398

$89.4 R 1,499

-10.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,555

$78.4 R 1,314

13.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.9K

$366 R 6,136

163.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 MX$8,133

$434 R 7,272

7.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 MX$27.9K

$441 R 7,401

261.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 MX$21.2K

$2,383 R 40.0K

-49.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$69.0K

$824 R 13.8K

378.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.8K

$1,031 R 17.3K

525.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$720 MX$12.6K

$1,907 R 32.0K

-62.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

11.51

-0.78%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Last update for Benoni: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $963 in Playa del Carmen and $366 in Benoni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benoni pays 165% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $34.00 in Benoni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $178 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Benoni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Benoni differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,287 vs $1,097 including rent). Benoni is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Benoni earns 165% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $963 in Playa del Carmen versus $366 in Benoni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,287 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,097 in Benoni – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,097 in Benoni versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Benoni but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Benoni the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Benoni are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Benoni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.